Should aspiring entrepreneurs get an MBA? Bridget Pujals, University of California Berkeley Haas MBA '24 and Co-Founder of Saelo, shares her experience being an active founder during her Full-time MBA. What resources did she find most helpful? What should active and aspiring entrepreneurs consider before and during their MBA? And finally, what differentiates the MBA as a launchpad for founders? Bridget shares specific steps she (and other entrepreneurs at Berkeley) took to de-risk their startups and increase their odds of success. After listening to this conversation, you'll get a much clearer picture of whether an MBA makes sense for your entrepreneurial goals. Topics Introduction (0:00) How Bridget's entrepreneurial plans evolved during her MBA (4:00) Lean launchpad at Berkeley Haas (7:50) Co-founder dating (9:45) What entrepreneurial resources Bridget found most useful at Haas (14:30) Professors as an influential resource for MBA founders (18:40) How other active & aspiring entrepreneurs approached the MBA (25:00) Tips for active & aspiring founders to make the most of their MBA investment (30:15) Importance of student culture for MBA entrepreneurs (33:30) Should aspiring entrepreneurs get an MBA? (39:00) About Our Guest Bridget Pujals graduated from University of California's Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Full-time MBA program in 2024, where she focused on building her startup. She is Co-Founder and CEO of Saelo in San Francisco, which offers high-tech, clinical skin treatments. Before getting her MBA, Bridget worked for Meta as a Senior Product Manager (Messenger) and Product Lead (Privacy for Instagram Direct), and before that, Postmates in business development and product management roles. Bridget graduated from University of California Irvine with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry. Show Notes Follow Bridget Pujals on LinkedIn #196 How I Got Into UC Berkeley Haas MBA (and HBS, Wharton, UCLA too!) & Breaking into Product Management with Bridget Pujals Saelo University of California Berkeley Haas MBA Berkeley MBA Resources for Entrepreneurs Berkeley's Lean Launchpad Accelerator Y Combinator's Co-Founder Matching Platform Search Funds & Entrepreneurial Acquisitions by Jan Simon Growth Marketing with Bill Pierce MBA Application Resources Get free school selection help at Touch MBA Get pre-assessed by top international MBA programs Get the Admissions Edge Course: Proven Techniques for Admission to Top Business Schools Our favorite MBA application tools (after advising 4,000 applicants)